A cross between classic meatloaf, beef bourguignon and chicken marsala, these Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves epitomize nostalgic comfort food. I fell in love with cooking with dry marsala wine back in culinary school. the flavor, when cooked down in a sauce or gravy, is unparalleled in adding savory dimension to a dish.
I use dry marsala twice in this recipe- once to deglaze my mirepoix vegetables, and again to form the base of the mushroom marsala gravy. The alcohol cooks off and leaves concentrated flavor making this a family friendly and a toddler approved meal, as well. my husband, who is definitely not a mushroom fan, also gobbled them down. Win-win-win.
marsala mushroom meatloaf ingredients:
- ground beef: we are using 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef to keep Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves moist and light.
- mirepoix: sautéed onions, celery & carrots begin this flavorful meatloaf filling or skip the chopping with this frozen shortcut!
- aromatics: fresh garlic, fresh sage and fresh rosemary are essential for this autumn comfort food flavor profile.
- Gluten-free binders: soaking your bread of choice in half and half makes this meatloaf filling light and tender. I use our favorite Paleo Bread from Unrefined Bakery but you can use whatever bread you like.
- tomato paste: this helps add depth of flavor to our meatloaf filling.
- marsala: make sure to find a dry marsala wine- sweet will be too sweet.
- wild mushrooms: use what you like! I used sliced cremini mushrooms but these will be fabulous with your favorites- hen of the woods, beech, shiitake or white buttons.
- grain-free thickener: to thicken this marsala sauce into a gravy consistency, I use tapioca flour to keep it gluten and grain-free.
serving inspiration:
you could go in so many directions with these Marsala Mushroom mini Meatloaves. They can be sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party with fancy sides, yet laid-back enough to serve at a casual Sunday supper while watching football. here is some meal inspiration to mix it up:
- weeknight dinner: serve mini meatloaves with roasted root vegetables & sliced avocado.
- dinner party: serve mini meatloaves with parmesan polenta, grilled broccolini and my truffled plum & burrata salad.
- large sunday supper: serve mini meatloaves with baked potatoes, green bean casserole & cornbread.
- leftover sandwich: serve cold leftover mini meatloaf slices on toasted gf bread with avocado oil mayonnaise, shaved red onion & sliced Roma tomatoes.
Marsala Mushroom Mini Meatloaves
Ingredients
Mini Meatloaves:
- 1.5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onions diced small
- 1/4 cup carrots diced small
- 1/4 cup celery diced small
- 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms minced finely
- 3 garlic cloves grated on the microplane
- 1 T fresh sage minced
- 1 T fresh rosemary minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons dry marsala wine
- 1 egg whisked
- 1/2 cup cubed bread (I used Unrefined Bakery Paleo Bread)
- 1/4 cup half & half
- 1/2 Tablespoon pink Himalayan salt
- 20 turns freshly-ground black pepper
- 1.25 pounds ground beef 85/15 or 80/20
Marsala Mushroom Gravy:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 20 sage leaves with stems removed
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms sliced thinly
- 1 Tablespoon garlic cloves sliced thinly
- 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup dry marsala wine
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 10 turns freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large saute pan, heat pan over medium high heat and add olive oil, carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms. Saute until vegetables are tender and lightly browning, approximately 5 minutes.
- While veggies are sautéing, stir together your cubed bread with half and half in a small bowl to absorb the liquid.
- Next, to your veggies, stir in garlic, sage, rosemary and tomato paste and sauté 1-2 minutes further.
- Deglaze pan with two tablespoons dry marsala wine, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Set veggies aside off the heat to cool, about 5-10 minutes.
- With a fork, press down your softened bread cubes into the half & half to get a paste-like consistency. Add to a large bowl, discarding any unabsorbed half & half.
- Also to the large bowl, add in cooled vegetables, ground beef, egg, salt and pepper.
- Use your hands to lightly and minimally mix ingredients until all have just come together, very careful not to overmix.
- With your hand, score meat mixture in half, then in fourths. Handling 1/4 at a time, split each into two and form into football-shaped mini meatloaves yielding 8 meatloaves total.
- Add to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees, for 20 minutes total, rotating 180 degrees midway through. Set aside while preparing gravy.
- In your same large saute pan from earlier, add butter and olive oil over medium-high heat and let melt and warm up, 1-2 minutes. Uniformly disperse your sage leaves and let pan fry, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel and turn heat down.
- To the sage-scented oil mixture, add your sliced mushrooms and garlic. Saute until lightly browned about 5-6 minutes.
- Slowly sprinkle your tapioca flour atop mushrooms and stir to absorb. Pour atop beef broth, marsala, salt and pepper and let mixture come to a simmer, while whisking constantly.
- When mixture comes to a simmer and begins thickening, add your meatloaves to the pan, spooning your gravy atop.
- Serve right out of the pan garnished with crispy sage leaves.
Semi-Homemade Paleo Chocolate Orange Cake
This Semi-Homemade Paleo Chocolate Orange Cake is scrumptious, simple to make and the perfect moist cake recipe to add to your repertoire.
My Elevated Classics Thanksgiving Roundup
Here is my Elevated Classics Thanksgiving Roundup full of delicious gluten-free dishes to woo and impress your guests.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Dried Cherries
These Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Dried Cherries were a top seller at my organic grab & go shop- salty, spicy sweet and addictive.
